Definition of "yank" []

• To pull with a quick, strong movement; jerk: yanked the emergency cord. (verb-transitive)
• Slang To extract or remove abruptly: yanked the starting pitcher early in the game. (verb-transitive)
• To pull on something suddenly. See Synonyms at jerk1. (verb-intransitive)
• A sudden vigorous pull; a jerk. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "It was one of the harder commands for me to learn because the word yank didn't say anything to me."
• "I hate the term "yank" - it is no longer appropriate if it ever was."
• "Stopping the milk as she did was a good call, to coin a yank phrase, as it was a waste of money, because the older kids weren't drinking it."